School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Constituted in 2019, we are a new and interdisciplinary School committed to the study of all life forms on our planet and the environmental dynamics and socio-cultural controls that shape their distributions in time and space. Central to our mission is to play a significant role in offering solutions to fundamental problems facing our planet’s ecosystems, and to sustain research-informed curricula for the creation of globally aware graduates equipped with relevant knowledge and skills for careers tackling the grand challenges of our era.
Planet resilience
As we experience an unprecedented phase of human-induced ecological disruption and degradation, we recognise that biological and environmental studies will play a vital part in informing the management and policy decisions that will confer resilience to our ecosystems and their functioning, which provide the services our sustainable future relies upon. The urgency and complexity of the current climate and biodiversity crises means that students and researchers must be able to contend with problems that cut across disciplines. We encompass a diverse range of expertise, embodied by our four research centres and we nurture a global collaborative network, which places us in a strong position to play a significant part in tackling the challenges of the Anthropocene.
Our programmes
The School has a broad and varied range of taught programmes across the biosciences, environmental sciences, and geography. All programmes encompass both fundamental and applied branches across fields and the majority of taught programmes are accredited by relevant professional bodies. We are committed to providing students with teaching of remarkable diversity and quality, which is reflected in high levels of student performance and satisfaction.
Take a more in-depth look at the courses and facilities we offer, and the career options available to our graduates.
Our expertise
We are involved in extensive research and collaborate with academics in every continent across the world. Our expertise lies in the disciplines of anthropology, animal behaviour, evolutionary and environmental genetics, epigenetics, ecology, geography, climate change and environmental sustainability. The vast majority of the School’s academic staff (60) constituted a submission to the Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences Unit of Assessment in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 (the system that assesses the quality of research in UK higher education institutions).
